Grooming
Dyson Airwrap Dupes
Some of what the Airwrap does is a patented airflow effect that cheap versions cannot copy. Some of it is a hot brush, and hot brushes cost $40.
By Brijon M. - Published October 2, 2026
The short answer
No sub-$100 tool replicates the Airwrap's Coanda-effect curling, which uses a high-speed motor to wrap hair around a barrel with airflow rather than heat. But most people buy the Airwrap for smoothing and volume, and a $40-60 hot-air brush or a multi-styler does that to a standard most people are happy with.
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What the Airwrap actually is
Understanding the dupe question requires understanding what is being duped, because the Airwrap is two products in one box and they are not equally hard to copy.
The first is a high-speed digital motor that moves a lot of air at a relatively low temperature. This is Dyson's core engineering advantage and it is the reason the tool styles without the heat levels a curling iron uses. Motors like it exist in other premium tools and essentially nowhere under $150.
The second is the Coanda effect barrels - the thing in the adverts where hair appears to wrap itself around the barrel on its own. That is airflow along a curved surface pulling the hair in, it is patented, and it is genuinely not replicated at the budget end. Cheap "airwrap-style" barrels wrap hair by spinning it or by you wrapping it manually, which is a different experience.
Everything else the Airwrap does - drying, smoothing, adding volume with a round brush head - is a hot-air brush, and hot-air brushes are a mature, cheap, well-understood product.
So what can you actually replicate under $100?
Smoothing and volume: yes, substantially. A good hot-air brush at $40-60 dries and smooths at once, adds root volume and produces a blow-dry finish. For the large majority of people who own an Airwrap, this is what they actually use it for day to day.
Curling: partly. Rotating hot-air brushes and multi-styler kits will produce curls and waves. They do it with heat and mechanical tension rather than airflow, which means more heat on the hair and a slightly different, usually tighter result that drops faster.
Low-heat styling: no. The Airwrap's selling point for hair health is that it styles at lower temperatures because the airflow does more of the work. Cheap tools compensate with heat, and that is the genuine tradeoff you accept.
Build quality and noise: no. Premium tools are quieter, lighter and better balanced, and they last longer.
Quick picks
The short version. Tap any row to jump to the full write-up, or go straight to Amazon to check the current price.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Revlon One-Step volumizer The hot-air brush that made this whole category mainstream. | Best for smoothing and volume | |
| 2 | Shark FlexStyle The only mainstream tool that attempts the same trick, at roughly half the price. | Closest genuine alternative | |
| 3 | Rotating hot-air styling brush Rotation does the wrapping that airflow does on an Airwrap. | Best for curls and waves on a budget |
We do not print prices on this site. Every button opens the live Amazon listing so you see the real price at the moment you click. See our affiliate disclosure.
1. Best for smoothing and volume
Revlon One-Step volumizer
The hot-air brush that made this whole category mainstream.
- Oval brush head
- Multiple heat settings
- Ionic
- Dry and style in one
If what you want from an Airwrap is a smooth, voluminous blow-dry without holding a dryer in one hand and a round brush in the other, this does that job and it costs a tiny fraction of the price.
The oval head is the clever part: the flat sides smooth and the rounded ends curve the ends under, which is the standard blow-dry shape. It dries and styles in one pass, which also means less total heat exposure than drying and then styling separately.
It is not a curling tool and should not be bought as one.
What you give up
Slow on very thick hair, bulky to handle, and it runs hotter than a premium tool because the airflow is doing less of the work.
2. Closest genuine alternative
Shark FlexStyle
The only mainstream tool that attempts the same trick, at roughly half the price.
- Bends into a dryer or styler
- Coanda-style barrels
- Heat control
- Multiple attachments
The FlexStyle is the serious answer rather than a budget imitation. It uses a similar airflow-wrapping principle with its curling barrels, it converts between a conventional dryer and a styler by bending at the middle, and it includes a usable attachment set.
It sits well above $100 and so is outside this site's usual tiers, but it is the honest answer to "what is actually close to an Airwrap" and it costs around half as much.
If the Coanda curling specifically is what you want and $600 is not happening, this is the tool to look at.
What you give up
Far more expensive than a hot-air brush, heavier than the Dyson, and the curl hold is generally reported as less durable.
3. Best for curls and waves on a budget
Rotating hot-air styling brush
Rotation does the wrapping that airflow does on an Airwrap.
- Motorized rotating barrel
- Two barrel sizes common
- Multiple heat settings
- Under $60
A rotating barrel brush spins the hair onto itself, which is the mechanical solution to the problem the Airwrap solves with airflow. The result is a genuine curl or wave, and for a lot of hair types it holds better than an Airwrap curl does.
The tradeoff is heat and tangling. It applies more heat than an airflow tool, and a rotating brush will catch and pull if you feed too much hair into it at once.
Work in small sections and use a heat protectant - the full reasoning is on do cheap hair dryers damage hair.
What you give up
Will tangle if you overload a section, and the higher heat is harder on fine or color-treated hair than an airflow-based tool.
Side by side
Who should buy which
Buy a hot-air brush ($40-60) if what you want is a smooth, voluminous blow-dry at home and you do not need defined curls. This covers the majority of people, and the saving is enormous.
Buy a rotating hot-air brush ($50-60) if you want waves or soft curls and you are willing to accept more heat and a little more care in sectioning.
Buy the Shark FlexStyle if the airflow-wrapping effect specifically is the thing you want and you can spend in the low hundreds rather than $600.
Buy the Dyson if you style daily, your hair is fine or color-treated enough that minimizing heat genuinely matters, and the weight and noise of a cheap tool is something you will feel every morning. It is an expensive tool that is genuinely good; it is just a long way past the point of diminishing returns for occasional use.
The part that is cheaper than any of them
Whichever tool you buy, two things affect hair health more than the tool does: a heat protectant before styling, and not drying to bone dry. Both are free or nearly free and both do more for the condition of your hair than moving from a $50 tool to a $600 one.
The mechanism, and the technique that goes with it, is covered in do cheap hair dryers damage hair.
Common questions
+Is there a real Dyson Airwrap dupe under $100?
Not for the Coanda-effect curling, which is patented and requires a high-speed motor. For smoothing and volume - what most Airwrap owners actually use it for - a $40-60 hot-air brush gets genuinely close.
+What is the closest alternative to an Airwrap?
The Shark FlexStyle. It uses a comparable airflow-wrapping approach and converts between a dryer and a styler, at roughly half the Dyson price. It is still well above the budget tiers on this site.
+Do cheap styling tools damage hair more?
They tend to apply more heat, because heat substitutes for the airflow a premium motor provides. With a heat protectant, a lower setting and sensible technique the difference narrows considerably.
+Why is the Airwrap so expensive?
A high-speed digital motor, patented Coanda airflow barrels, and measured heat regulation. The motor is the genuine engineering cost - it is the same technology Dyson uses across its cordless products and it does not exist cheaply.
Sources
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